"An ugly win is better than a pretty loss," is all head coach Kerrick Jackson had to say when asked about the game.
After a massive 25-10 win yesterday, the Missouri Tigers came out for game two against the Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions and won in walk-off fashion, 8-7. This marks the Tigers' first walk-off win of the year.
Making his first start since the season opener, the Tigers sent left-hander Daniel Wissler to the mound to start the game, but it didn’t go as planned. After recording a ground out and a foul out to begin the first inning, head coach Kerrick Jackson, along with a member of the training staff, came out to the mound to check on him.
It turned out that Wissler felt discomfort after just eight pitches, leading to him being taken out in tears. All the infielders hugged and consoled him as he walked off the mound. This marked the beginning of a bullpen game for the Tigers, with eight different pitchers coming in from the bullpen throughout the contest.
The same went for the Golden Lions. After just two batters and eight pitches, their starter was taken out, turning the game into a bullpen battle for both sides. Over the course of the 4+ hour game, both teams combined for 14 pitchers.
The scoring began with a five-run top of the second from the Golden Lions, with all five runs charged to reliever Seth McCartney. The Tigers responded in the bottom half, getting on the board with a leadoff home run from outfielder Pierre Seals and a one-out blast from DH Brady Picarelli, cutting the Tigers' deficit to 5-2.
The teams traded runs over the next two innings, with the Golden Lions adding a run in both the third and fourth innings. The Tigers responded with two runs in each of those innings, closing the gap to just one run as they headed into the fifth inning.
Another season debut for Mizzou came in the top of the fourth inning when junior Tony Neubeck took the mound for the first time since March 12, 2022—745 days ago. In his one inning of work, he allowed two hits, walked two, and gave up one run, while striking out one. His fastball topped out at 88 mph in his season debut.
During his outing, Neubeck was almost taken out by Jackson, despite there being only two outs. However, Neubeck had confidence in himself and knew he could finish the inning. He made sure to tell his coach that he was capable of continuing, and that's exactly what he did.
“I was coming again, and he said, ‘Are you sure about that?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m sure,’” Jackson said about the interaction. He continued, “Because your pitch count is up and it’s your first time out. And I was like, I know this and the way that you wanted to end, but we’ve got to protect you in this situation. He said, ‘Give me three pitches.’ I said, ‘Alright, you got three pitches.’ Three pitches later, he got the guy out.”
Cayden Nicoletto also made his second appearance on the mound, pitching a third of an inning and getting a groundout to close out the third. He maintained his season ERA at zero.
The Tigers didn’t tie the game until the bottom of the seventh, when Kaden Peer extended his hit streak to eight with an RBI triple, tying the game at seven. The Golden Lions threatened to score in the very next inning after new Mizzou pitcher Xavier Lovett loaded the bases with no outs. However, Lovett induced two force outs at home and a groundout to escape the inning clean, keeping the score tied.
The Missouri offense found a spark during this two-game series, collecting 10 or more hits in each game and combining for 33 runs.
The Tigers didn’t secure the win until the very end. After Xavier Lovett came out for his second inning of work in the top of the ninth, a one-out error from the Golden Lions put a runner on for the Tigers. After a stolen base put the runner in scoring position, Keegan Knutson stepped up and sent a ball into right-center for the Tigers' first walk-off win of the year, securing an 8-7 victory.
“I had the profile of that guy's fastball as more of a sinker,” Knutson said after the game about his walk-off hit. “I had worked on that in the cage earlier, inside fastball. So I was really thinking exactly the same approach I had in the cage earlier.”
Lovich, who reached base on the error and stole second, was taken out of the game after Jackson and a trainer checked on him and determined it was the best move for his well-being.
Lovett (1-1) was credited with the win in the game, while Pine Bluff’s Kenny Fabian (1-5) was charged with the loss.
“Have a belief system,” Jackson told his team heading into the bottom of the ninth. “Believe in something, and good things can come as a result of just being in the right headspace.”
Mizzou will hit the road again for one of their longest trips of the season, starting in Fayetteville, Arkansas, this weekend. The Tigers will return to SEC play in hopes of securing their first conference win against No. 2 Arkansas. The first game of the series is set to start at 7 p.m. on Friday.